Eras Journal - Churchward, M.: Review of "Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation", Lambert, Malcolm

Malcolm Lambert, Medieval Heresy: Popular
Movements from the Gregorian Reform to the Reformation,

Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, 2002

Isbn 0 63122 276 6

A book of the magnitude of Malcolm
Lambert's Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from the
Gregorian Reform to the Reformation demonstrates a dedication
of many years to such a topic. As a third edition, the first published
in 1977 and the second in 1992, we already obtain a sense of this
book's worth and its reception to date. The revision between
the first and second editions is quite significant in structure and
scope -it eliminates much of the material on eastern heresy- but
is relatively small between the second and third editions, with the
revision focused mostly in the Waldensian chapter (in particular
chapter 8) and some of the Hussite material has been reworked.[1]
One of the key issues, which helps explain the endurance of such
a topic, is the continued debate, even today, as to the nature of
heresy. What constituted a heretic? Why were some persecuted and
others not? The answer is not easily forthcoming; opposing ideologies,
remnants of earlier religions and dissatisfaction with the Orthodox
Church, its unbending authority and the hypocrisy from within, all
contributed to the rise of heresies. Lambert also recognises the
changing nature of historical research arguing that '"Deconstruction"
has, in a manner of speaking, taken over from orthodox Marxism: both
approaches argue that heretical movements have as their driving force
other factors, political or economic, rather than religious'
(p. 13). This then is a history of social consciousness of the Middle
Ages as much as it is of religious divergence.

Lambert
follows a chronological order, beginning in part one with the early
eleventh century and the sporadic stirrings of heresies throughout
Western Europe. There is a sense of haphazardness to his argument
in this section as he utilises examples from geographical and ideological
extremes. This comes down, in part, to the documentation that has
survived on such topics but also fuels his later arguments that through
the twelfth and thirteenth century heresy became more sophisticated
in its development and maintained a greater following. Subsequently,
heresy became a greater threat and the Orthodox Church responded
with increasingly rigorous counter measures.

Lambert
then progresses into the twelfth century looking at the increased
rise of popular heretical movements and the consolidation of those
early stirrings of heresies; in particular he concentrates on the
Cathars and the Waldensians. Although Lambert throws a broad net
geographically he focuses mainly, in parts two and three, on the
areas of Southern France, Germany and Italy. The popular heresies
that emerged as the prominent threat to orthodoxy in the late twelfth
and throughout the thirteenth century remained, Lambert argues, divided
within themselves. From Waldensians emerged two major groups, the
Poor Lombards - a more radical and vigilant group (p. 164) - and
the Lyonist - who stayed truer to the ideas of the founder of Waldensian
heresy, Valdes (p. 85). The history of this and the other contemporary
movements are complex and shifting. Lambert's deconstruction
is in-depth and does much to illuminate the popularity of such heresies.

Lambert also details the actions of the Orthodox Church
in their attempts to squash these movements. He discusses the effectiveness
of the popes Innocent III, Honorius III, Gregory IX and Innocent
IV in this regard. Their strategies were twofold. Firstly, the establishment
of efficient inquisitors in 'tracking and examining offenders'
(p. 99), which, at times, meant persecuting those found guilty in
order to rid particular areas of its heretics but also to strike
fear into those who would consider practicing heretical ideologies.
Secondly, they actively supported the movements of St Dominic and
St Francis and the establishment of the mendicant orders. Given the
popularity of preaching that had arisen in many of the heresies,
it was an ingenuity to allow a legitimate group of preachers that
remained faithful to the Orthodox beliefs to establish popularity.
Although elements of these groups themselves were problematic, the
fourteenth century saw such deviations within mendicant ideology
that they became heretical. Radical movements such as Cathars were
effectively suppressed through persecution and with the loss of charismatic
leaders support waned (pp. 149-57). Waldensians, on the other hand,
survived through less offensive ideologies and, in the Alpine regions,
survived because of 'its territory and the disunity of enemies'
(p. 187).

Lambert then moves to the fourteenth
century, where it appears that any stronghold that the Orthodox Church
had in confining heresy was lost. Persecution of the accused became
an increasingly abused power of the inquisitor and led to subsequent
investigations of the inquisitorial body. It also caused greater
resentment of such bodies and this in turn aided the popularity of
certain heresies. The impact of the Great Schism of 1378 contributed
to the lack of reform; emphasis was now placed on war and diplomatic
manoeuvring between the rival popes. The impact of the Black Death,
the rise of mysticism and the emphasis of the individual in religion
contributed to 'uncertainty about the true nature of the Church
and the authority of the pope gave opportunities and stimuli unknown
to the heresies of the past' (p. 245). Lambert's examination
of this later period is more diverse, covering the English Lollards,
Bohemian reform and the Hussite movement, all with the keen eye of
political, economical and environmental factors. The eventual occurrence
of the reformation, Luther's reforms were to emerge as a more
profound challenge than previous heresies (p. 420). Lambert ends
his book just as the pivotal divergence of the Catholic Church takes
place and contributes much to the significance of medieval heresy
in the lead up to this event.

There is at least
one historical detail that is incorrect. The citing of a document
by Philip III, King of France from 1229 has been wrongly attributed,
given that Philip III did not rule France until 1270. However, this
is nitpicking and, on the whole, the book's flaws are relatively
few. Certain issues remain untouched to a great degree, the focus
on female heretics is relatively small, and not entirely the purpose
of this study, but does raise some interesting questions as to the
possibilities of heresy as a female driven instrument, especially
in light of later condemnations of women in the witch trials of the
early modern period. Also, a detailed discussion on concepts of evil
could explain the use of fear in condemning heresy, given that the
different beliefs of the manifestation of the devil and the development
of purgatory.

The complexity and in-depth examination
of popular heresy means this book can at times be dense reading,
contributed, in part, by the sheer scope of the topic. It is, however,
an incredibly interesting study full of entertaining anecdotes. Lambert's
documentation is massive, and he includes commentary on secondary
sources within the texts as well as extensive footnotes. Although
much of the detail helps in an understanding of specific heresies,
and one could pick and chose segments to study, Lambert really offers
an overall understanding of the effect heresy had on Catholicism
and the wider community of the medieval period.